Canine Good Citizen (CGC)/Canine Good Neighbour (CGN)

CCGCT — Canadian Canine Good Citizen TestTM — Responsible Dog Owners of Canada has announced that it has taken legal ownership of the Canadian Canine Good Citizen TestT (CCGCTT) and is working to re-introduce the program across Canada.

These are certification programs that test dogs that have the training and demeanor to be reliable family members as well as good-standing community members. The testing takes place in a busy public area, such as a shopping mall. Testing includes the following:

Accepting a friendly stranger — The owner of the dog shakes hands with a friendly stranger.

Patiently sitting for petting — A test for shyness and resentment.

Appearance & grooming — The owner’s care and sense of responsiblity is seen in how his dog is kept.

Out for a walk — Illustrating handler’s control of the dog.

Walking through a crowd — Demonstrating how the dog moves in a crowd without unduly distress and under his owner’s control.

Commands — Sit, Down, Stay, Come. Illustrating that the dog has been trained and responds well.

Praise/interactions — Illustrating the relationship between dog and owner.

Reaction to passing dogs — Demonstrates if the dog behaves politely around other dogs.

Distractions — Demonstrates the dog’s confidence when faced with common distractions.

Supervised isolation — Demonstrates whether the dog can be left with someone other than his usual handler and still maintain training and good manners.

Any dog that jumps up on a person, lunges at another dog or displays unruly behaviour is automatically disqualified.